EDITORIAL: In Murphy we trust? Too early to tell

Phil Murphy and the first lady close out Inauguration Day with a dance.
Brian Johnston

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Gov. Phil Murphy gives his speech following his swearing-in as New Jersey’s 56th governor on Tuesday in Trenton. Murphy’s upcoming first budget will give New Jerseyans a better sense of how realistic his ambitious agenda may be.(Photo: File photo)Buy Photo

Phil Murphy’s first week as governor brought no real surprises, but showed signs of both the high hopes and big challenges ahead:

•Plant your flag in NJ — That may have been the standout line of Murphy’s inauguration address on Tuesday, and it hit upon a needed idea. New Jerseyans are accustomed to their state being abused by outsiders, but increasingly residents are adding to the chorus, fleeing elsewhere or openly pining for the day they can join the exodus, complaining most of all about high taxes. Murphy’s phrasing invokes a kind of Jersey-style defiance, a reminder that there’s no shame in standing your ground and fighting the good fight.

•Trump is the enemy — That inaugural theme was inescapable. Chris Christie had very different ideas than Murphy on how to run the state, and the apathy he displayed during his presidential run was a slap in New Jersey’s face. But Christie never actively worked against our best interests in the way that Trump has targeted New Jersey and other blue states. Murphy has positioned himself and state leadership as protection from the vindictive Trump administration and, sadly, that’s a role they’ll need to play.

•Here’s to old friends — One of Murphy’s first acts was to sign an executive order that effectively attempts to categorize types of friendship in tightening gift disclosure rules. It’s a seemingly odd exercise, but it’s rooted in an effort to expand transparency and avoid the kind of ethical clouds that clung to Christie’s acceptance of gifts from wealthy pals, most notoriously from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Murphy designated Jan. 16, 2015, as the dividing line between new acquaintances and “pre-existing” friends who may provide him with gifts he would not be required to disclose. It seems a well-intentioned effort to improve the existing “governor’s code of conduct,” but we also wonder if Murphy met any wealthy friends around, say, December 2014?

•Christie’s legacy event — Christie’s final-year push on opioid awareness was welcome, but the governor tried too hard to publicly put himself front and center in the campaign, most evidenced by his featured performance in a series of ads promoting the state’s ReachNJ addiction hotline. We are pleased ads with Christie in them will no longer be running.

•Social conscience — Murphy kicked off his tenure with an executive order aimed at equal pay for women, banning state agencies from asking applicants about salary history. But the governor has made it clear that he wants the Legislature to act swiftly on a series of initiatives defined mostly by their assistance for those more in need — Planned Parenthood funding, raising the minimum wage, earned sick leave for workers, voting access and other measures. Don’t expect them all to be easy lifting.

•Salary adjustment — The new governor split with the predecessor to whom he has most often been compared — Jon Corzine, also a wealthy Wall Streeter before taking office — by deciding to accept his full gubernatorial salary of $175,000. Corzine took just one dollar, but we have no problem with Murphy’s decision, as long as he earns his pay; after all, we certainly wouldn’t want voters seeking out candidates willing to be governor for free. A side note that illustrates one of Murphy’s great challenges in office: that salary doesn’t even cover Murphy’s annual property taxes on his Middletown mansion.

•And now … budget time — What most attracts New Jerseyans’ interest, of course, will be Murphy’s first budget, which he will reveal in a few weeks. That will tell us a great deal about just how realistic the governor intends to be in pursuing his self-described bold agenda. Most observers assume “bold” will mean more spending, at least in areas neglected by Christie, but how far can Murphy go? Will he try to incorporate anticipated revenue from a millionaire’s tax and/or legal marijuana, even though both plans have prompted some hesitancy among Democratic lawmakers? Will the spending plan include overly optimistic projections of economic growth — a fallback tactic that typically comes back to bite residents? How aggressive can Murphy afford to be given the federal tax reforms that will hit New Jersey particularly hard?

Murphy has promised a progressive blue beacon, but many New Jerseyans weary of high taxes fear the governor’s plans will simply mean more of the same problems. Murphy’s ability to chart his desired path within New Jersey’s restraints will require a delicate balancing act. His first budget will send a clear message about whether he’s up to that task.